'Right spots' for Broncos' spending all on 'D'

The Denver Broncos had a record-setting offense last season led by MVP Peyton Manning, and that couldn’t prevent them from getting their doors blown off by the defensive-minded Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.

A flurry of bold moves in the first 24 hours of free agency show exactly how general manager John Elway intends to address that: by paying whatever it takes to build an elite defense of their own.

The addition of veteran pass rusher DeMarcus Ware on a contract ESPN reported Wednesday is worth $30 million over three years, with $20 million guaranteed, followed the additions of safety T.J. Ward and cornerback Aqib Talib on Tuesday.

They already have another elite player, Von Miller, at outside linebacker. If he’s healthy, Ware, 31, could balance the pass rush better than Shaun Phillips did a year ago. Ward and Talib are upgrades in the secondary of a defense that ranked 17th in yards allowed per pass play in 2013.

Manning has a cap hit of $17.5 million in 2014. But the Broncos entered the week with more than $27 million in space under their adjusted cap of $142.55 million, aided by unused cap carryover from 2013.

In a January interview with USA TODAY Sports, Elway admitted having a 37-year-old quarterback who’s nearing the end influences his roster decisions. The Ware signing fits with man of the Broncos’ signings last year: older players on short-term deals to help them win now.

But Elway doesn’t like to regard his approach as year-to-year.

“To me, it’s more being not necessarily conservative, but thinking about it in the long term and not year to year,” Elway said, “because you can get yourself and take some chances in cap situations and big signing bonus, those type things, to where you really take a chance and if you miss on those, it can really set your organization back.

“It’s very important that, when you do spend money, that you spend it in the right spots.”